Government advice on what to do in radiation emergency as Russia’s planned targets for UK were ‘leaked’
In light of Russia's nuclear strike plans 'leaking', it may serve you well to check out the UK government's radiation emergency advice.
Last year it was revealed that president Vladimir Putin had pinned Hull, Cumbria, and Edinburgh on the map as prime locations to unleash radioactive hell should a Third World War break out between his country and the NATO nations.
If such a devastating conflict did become a reality, there's plenty of information available via GOV.UK in regards to how we can protect ourselves.
What is the government's advice?
The first port of call should be to go indoors as soon as humanly possible, and stay there.
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"Close the doors and windows and stay as far away from external walls as possible," begin the instructions.
"Turn off all fans and air conditioning and close all external doors, windows and vents where possible. You may need to stay indoors for one to two days."
Monitoring of the news is another early priority, while GOV.UK will provide details on what to do next. Any alterations to this information shall be communicated through official radio, TV and social media channels.
"Radiation cannot be seen, heard, smelt, tasted or felt, so it is important that you follow the advice given to you, even if you can’t tell that anything has happened," they continue.
"You may be advised by the emergency services to evacuate, and you should be prepared to do this, if needed, following advice issued for your area. You should not evacuate unless advised to do so, as leaving shelter may increase your exposure to radiation."
Structures made of "robust and dense" materials will provide an adequate radiation shield, as gamma, alpha and beta rays struggle to penetrate 'permanent buildings' made from brick, stone, concrete.
"Other urgent protective actions that you may need to take include evacuation, taking stable iodine if advised, and following restrictions on food and water supplies. These actions would be implemented quickly for periods of hours or days, in order to protect against exposures received over relatively short timescales."
If there's a risk of contamination, whereby you were outside when radioactive materials travelled to your vicinity, it's crucial to decontaminate.
Studies show that taking off all of your outer clothing can remove 90 percent of the contaminants, but do not use conditioner when washing your hair as this can bind the contamination to your scalp.
How would Britain respond to an attack?
As for how Britain would retaliate to this hypothetical attack, only the sitting prime minister is able to press the nuclear button.
Ex-PM James Callaghan once said he 'would have done it' if he was in a situation where the use of nuclear weapons was on the table, adding 'but if I had lived after pressing that button, I could have never forgiven myself'.
On the flipside, the country's leadership would likely be high on the Russian list of targets, so he/she might not be around to make that decision.
Britain's response would then depend on a series of letters the PM writes upon entering office which are sent out to the Royal Navy's fleet of nuclear submarines. These are known as the Letters of Last Resort, and the instructions contained within are known only to Sir Keir Starmer right now.
Dan Seddon